Candy's hero
by manfiction
Summary: As Candy was in danger she witnessed Dippers heroic attempt to save her, now Dippers reward was unexpected and completely unnecessary, at first. Rated T for some violence.
1. Chapter 1

One boring noon of work for Dipper, Wendy, and Soos. Wendy is the clerk behind the cash register. Dipper was there to clean any kind of mess and restock whatever there was to restock. Soos honestly didn't know why he's there, but he felt like he needed to be there so he didn't get in trouble with his boss. They had one of Grunkle Stan's special work days, one where Wendy, Dipper, and Soos worked overtime and probably no overtime pay. Not one costumer came to the mystery shack which has the three even more frustrated. Wendy's phone died driving her closer to insanity. Dipper was already toward the limit. Soos just sitting there in his own little world. And with the absence of the heart of every party, Mabel out on her day off with her friends. The store was a ghost town.

Normally Wendy would ask Dipper to go to the roof or Soos would have come up with something to do. Nope while Mabel and her friends are hanging out somewhere the rest had to stay. According to Grunkle Stan who was in the other room watching TV, and practically monitored them. Suddenly the door opened and everyone in the store nearly jumped thinking it was a costumer. One thing better than a costumer, Mabel and her companions showed up. "Hey everybody!" Mabel said with a grand opening.

"Mabel!" Wendy, Dipper, and Soos replied being the most alive they had the whole day. "woah, this place looks like a little down today" Mabel noticed "well don't mind us just getting ready to catch some fire bugs" she said excitedly. Everybody was puzzled "fire bugs?" Dipper wondered out loud "don't you mean fireflies?" Wendy chuckled trying to correct Mabel "noooo firebugs" Mabel said to Wendy, Candy started to explain "fire bugs are like fire flies. But they are bigger, brighter, and more rare than ever!" "In the middle of the day?" Dipper asked them "yeah, why don't you guys just stay and hang out with us" Wendy insisted "sorry guys" she said regretfully "but we wont know for sure when the fire bugs will come out and they are like very very VERY rare, girls stay here i'll be right back"

Mabel entered the Employees only room, while she was getting the supplies her and her friends needed. Grenda stood by the door and Candy found a stool by the clerk counter. An awkward silence was in the room. "Soooooo" Soos breaking the silence "you guys are like catching fire bugs right?" "yes" Candy replied "haha I get it dude, because flys are like bugs" "nooo fire bugs are a different species" Grenda said to Soos. He thought about it for a bit "woah catching a fire bug, I could only imagine" Soos said going off into space about having a pet fire bug.

Mabel returned to the main room with three nets and a handful of jars. Again all the attention was toward her. "Okay we are ready to gooo!" "ah c'mon Mabel, you guys sure you can't stay? At least until works over?" Dipper said almost completely begging Mabel "look Dipper there's a full moon and thats when fire bugs get their brightest and heck if I'm wasting this one time opportunity!" Mabel said to Dipper. Dipper said nothing after that and although Mabel doesn't like snapping at anyone, she was determined to catch a creature of her own. "Welllll bye, i'll bring a fire bug back" Mabel said before the three left to go on a quest. "oh please do" Soos said when Mabel closed the door.

"Lucky Mabel gets to go out I'm so bored" Wendy said looking half asleep. "Yeah me to" Dipper said with his hands in his pockets. "uhh!" Wendy moaned with her head on the counter "this day is going on forever" she said speaking for everybody. Then they all heard a voice of an old cranky man trying to watch his shows "hey! keep down out there!"

Later that day Soos got a look as if he had a good idea "I got it!" Soos jumping from his chair "I know how to turn time forward" he said going to the wall clock with everybody's attention towards him. Soos picks up the clock and spins the knob on the back "there work is done" as Soos shows the other two. Wendy and Dipper laughed "that won't work Soos" Dipper said "at least you passed 10 minutes" Wendy said while Soos put the clock back with the original time. A sigh was heard from all the people in the room.

From noon to night they all sat there until work really was over. Relief was shared in the store Soos was sleeping on the couch, Wendy left the store to see if her friends want to still hang out, and Dipper followed her outside to clear his fatigue feeling. Wendy and Dipper were walking.

"Man I thought I was never getting out of that store" Dipper said to Wendy "I know right? I felt like i was becoming as old as your Grunkle Stan" she said. They both gave out a small laugh until Wendy's friends showed up "hey you wanna go and hang out with us?" Wendy asked. At the peek of saying yes he hadn't seen or heard from Mabel since lunch "uhhh n-no not tonight I'mmmm too exhausted," Dipper said with a fake yawn "I think I'm gonna head back to the shack" "well suite yourself" she said taking off, also seeing Robbies somewhat intimidating face in shotgun as they take off.

They went their separate ways Dipper was making his was to the Mystery Shack, rushing himself to the point of running. Dipper arrived at the Mystery Shack and asked his Grunkle Stan that had a soda in his hand "hey has Mabel stopped by here while I was gone? I haven't seen her all day" Grunkle Stan looked at him shocked "weren't you just with her? you two left after work didn't you" "no that was just me and Wendy that left a while ago" Dipper said sounding confused.

Grunkle Stan took a sip out of his soda then looked at the clock and outside the window and suddenly spat out his soda "Mabel hasn't been here all day?!" Dipper eyes widened "oh no" he thought to himself running toward the door "c'mon Grunkle Stan we've got to go look for her!" Grunkle Stan stared at him with a surprised look "umm I can't" he said seeing his favorite show come up. "why not?" the worried boy said in confusion "umm because" Stan said grabbing a tube " I'm glued to my chair" he said. Dipper gave him an annoyed look before he left the building. After Dipper exited the store Grunkle Stan grabbed the remote and changed the channel and grabbed his soda.

Dipper was frustrated that he had to go alone but that wasn't the case he was focused on where Mabel can possibly be. He rushed outside and was calling out her name through the town. He wasn't too worried Mabel was out all the time but he can tell when there's a situation that involves Mabel weather it was good or bad. Dipper also new Mabel can take care of herself, he can't help it Dipper always had his sisters back.

He passed by house to house until he was at the edge of the town and it was almost midnight. Dipper was more worried that something bad happened to her, Mabel never would have stayed out this late unless she was in danger, cornered and Mabel and her friends can't get out, or she was possessed by some sort of ghost. He put his hand around and shouted "mmmmmmmaaaaaaabbbbbbbbeeeeeeelllllll!" Dipper stood still for a moment. As he was getting ready to shout again he heard a girls voice "HElP!" he shot toward the direction of the voice.


	2. Chapter 2

12:27 AM in the night and Dipper was running through the forest, he noticed that it was getting dimmer and dimmer. The full moon was barely penetrating through the trees. He saw there were also some mushrooms that were glowing as he progressed so it wasn't completely dark. The call for help was only getting louder the closer her ran toward. Running he bumped into something that made him fall to the ground.

"What the?" Dipper said sitting up rubbing his head and next to him was Mabel, on the ground moaning and turning slowly. "oh no Mabel! are you okay!?" he said going to her side. Mabel was nearly unconscious, but when she saw Dipper next to her, she quickly got up with a gasp "D-Dipper *inhale* my friends *inhale* bug *inhale* help" Mabel struggled to say to him "okay Mabel slow down, try to catch your breath." Mabel took one last breath before she fainted. "Mabel? Mabel! can you here me?!" Dipper said to her. Not long after Grenda came along running toward them.

As Grenda was running looking as exhausted as Mabel "Dipper! Dipper oh thank goodness" she said in relief. Dipper was still shocked about his sister unconscious "what happened here?" "me, Mabel, and Candy were out in the woods looking for fire bugs then suddenly we were attacked b-by a...by a?" "a what" Dipper asked as Grenda was trying to explain the situation "uuuhhh?" she said "for peet sake Grenda what?!" Dipper finally snapped "a fire bug" Mabel whispered to Dipper. "Yes!" Grenda exclaimed "and Candy still back there!" Mabel and Grenda are worried for their friend Candy, worried that she won't be able to escape. "You've gotta go help her Dipper" Grenda said to him

Dipper looked in the forest and this fire bug is in there and it made Mabel and her friends panic and run till complete exhaustion. Dipper is more was focused on Mabel's condition "no i can't leave Mabel here" Dipper said "but Candy is still in there you can't just leave her there" "I can't leave Mabel here either, c'mon Mabel" he said trying to pick her up.

As Dipper was about to lunge her up on his arms Mabel tugged his shirt "please you gotta help Candy" she weakly said "but look at the condition your in Mabel, I have to get you back to the Mystery Shack" he said "Dipper!" she shouted, as Dipper remained quiet "Candy's in danger and she needs your help, please!" Mabel said begging him to go "no!" Dipper told her, Mabel disappointed she turned away "well I'm not going anywhere" Mabel said crossing her arms "c'mon Mabel" "no" "but" "no!" Mabel refused.

Everybody's shooken up from this event and Dipper's scared whats in the forest waiting to possibly kill him. Dipper looks at Mabel and Grenda and gave up, they won't go without seeing Candy safe. He looks back at Mabel "okay okay fine, i'll go look for her" Dipper said. Mabels spirit is up when she heard that "really? oh thank you!" Mabel said cheerfully and hugging Dipper "still it isn't safe here, try and make your way back" Dipper demanded "hurry Dipper she can't be far" Grenda said "yeah don't worry about us we'll be fine" Mabel assured him and Dipper was off.

Dipper is deeper in the forest and although he was extremely nervous and uneasy Dipper searched for clues and anything that can indicated where Candy was. Walking through the forest the experienced the air getting thick making it hard to breathe in, "no wonder Grenda and Mabel were so exhausted" he thought. It seemed like it's been hours since he started and he's loosing more energy.

While Dipper was walking through the forest he picked up a mushroom and examined it. Dipper tried to research it on his journal he brought thinking it can help, Dipper came across an article about it. "The Luna Effulgence mushroom inhabited this exact forest blah blah blah feeds on the magnetic energy of the moons light acting as a special photosynthesis for blah blah blah" Dipper reading the journal. Dipper feel drowsy and tired, he yawned and continued. His entire time reading through it the book said nothing about the thick air, so he put the mushroom in his jacket.

The thought of the fire bug lurking around was terrifying so Dipper kept his voice down when he called for Candy. No sign of her anywhere and Dipper was tiring in the thick air. Dipper needed to rest, so he sat under a tree. Dipper was loosing more energy and he knew he can't stay there long. Dipper was sat under a tree. He was wondering why the forest's air was hard to breathe in. Was it the mushrooms that was all over the woods, maybe the fire bug was responsible, or maybe Dipper, Mabel, and Grenda have asthma. Dipper thinking hard and that fatigue feeling came, suddenly Dipper started to lightly sleep.

* * *

><p>"Lets go have the coolest adventure ever they said it'll be fun they said" Candy thought to herself rethinking what happened back there. Still even in this situation Candy can't be mad at her friends, she's never mad at them. Although they totally out ran her, Candy was certain they heard her telling Grenda and Mabel to slow down and to wait for her. All she can do was climb a tree. Candy was relieved that her friends got away, Candy told herself that they'll be back.<p>

Later she started to have doubts thinking that her friends are planning a funeral. She's been on that tree for what seemed like days and Candy started to get depressed, she stuck with no escape, couldn't tell where the town is, and no one to help her. She then heard sticks and branches crackling, she knew the creature was near her and soon she would be done for. Anxious she was, Candy sat hugging her legs with her head down, and started to sob.

Tears were falling from Candy's face as she was facing downward and a small glimpse surprised her so much she couldn't believe her eyes, she saw what looked like the top side of a cap one that only Dipper would wear. Candy took off her glasses and rub her eyes "Dipper?" she quietly said to him but no response from him, she called him again "Dipper?...Dipper?" Candy repeated again thinking she's going crazy. Candy then started to tear up again, a drop from her eye fell straight down.

* * *

><p>"zzzzzzzzzz" Dipper sound asleep, summer was hot in Gravity Falls and Dipper was hot. There was Wendy, Grunkle Stan, Soos, and Mabel at the pool. He thought he better join the fun in this hot day. With a smile Dipper walked toward the four by the water. "Hey Dipper" they all greeted them. He replied with a wave, then Mabel walked toward him and offered him a soda "hey bro are you thirsty?" she said with a small chuckle, Dipper didn't pay any attention to her chuckle and took the soda "thanks Mabel" Dipper said before taking it. Then he noticed not only Mabel but the whole group silently laughing. Still he wasn't bothered and opened the soda.<p>

The soda that was given to him bursted open, thats when he woke up. It seems that a small splash of water landed on his cheek woke him with a big scared. "what the?! huh?! who's there?!" Dipper said with a jump. Candy heard his awakening and wiped her tears "Dipper!" Candy said with her spirits up "Candy?" he said still confused "how did you get up there?" Candy confused "what?" she asked him "never mind look we have to get out of.." Dipper was interrupted by a noise in bushes near him. Candy gasped "hide" she said to him, Dipper then without question quickly ran for cover behind another tree away from what was making noise.

No sooner than he hid the creature appeared, a fire bug. Dipper peeked at what came out of the bushes, it was an insect resembling nothing like a firefly, multiple legs, five eyes, glowing yellow, no wings, and it was almost as big as Dipper. He quickly pulled his back behind the tree when it looked up, sniffing the air. The bug paused when it looked up and it started to growled after the bug spotted something in the air, Candy.

The fire bug to crawled toward the tree and Candy started to scream "aahhhhh! Dipper! HELP!" Candy screamed. Dipper is now terrified, the bug is going after Candy and he knows nothing about the fire bug. "Oh no no no" Dipper said to himself "what do I do? this is bad" Dipper couldn't think, the bug was climbing the tree and Candy is screaming for him. Without thinking Dipper went in the open and yelled at the bug "hey! leave her alone!" the bug looked at him "yeah thats right come and get me!" Dipper said to the bug, but with no use the bug is still after Candy.

Dipper was now desperate for its attention, he looked on the ground for a rock to throw at it. Then he searched his jacket, Dipper grabbed his journal 3 and threw it at the bug. The fire bug is now angry, it starred at Dipper while he searched his jacket again. Dipper pulled out the mushroom he collected, the moment he the fire bug saw him take it out, the bug roared. Dipper looked up and he saw the bug diving at him "uh oh" he said to himself, it landed on top of him and started to wrestle him.

Candy saw Dipper trying to fight off the bug, she thought she would be scared but she didn't know what to feel. Dipper saved her from that giant bug and now he's being mauled, Dipper's being mauled! Candy snapped out of what ever she was feeling and tried to find a way to help him. But she couldn't do anything from a tree except watch.

The bug was on top of Dipper now bitting on his arm. He was punching and kicking the bug doing whatever he can to get it off. No use the bug was still on his arm. Dipper looked at the fire bug and realized it wasn't after him, it was after the mushroom that he was holding on to. Dipper let go of of the mushroom and so did the bugs jaw and when it did Dipper lunged the bug off with his legs. Both of them stood back up and before the bug could charge Dipper again he picked up the Effulgence mushroom.

The fire bug stopped and stared "oh yeah? is this what you want?" Dipper said and the bug responded with a roar. "Well...fetch!" Dipper told the bug as he threw in the opposite direction of the fire bug. It started to quickly run after the mushroom going past Dipper. While the bug is distracted Dipper knew it was the perfect time for him and Candy to escape. So he ran toward the tree "Candy! Candy! c'mon we got to get out of here!" Dipper yelled "okay" Candy replied.

Candy started to climb down the tree as fast as she can. Candy stepping down on branches on the tree until she broke the next one she stepped on causing her to fall "aahhh!" Candy said falling down, and as she was falling down she was hitting more branches on the way down. Dipper seen her in shock that she's falling at a fatal hight "oh no Candy!" Dipper said while seeing her getting closer to the ground, he shot toward where she was landing and caught her. He laid her down and examined her, she appeared to have only minor injuries and also to be unconscious.

"Oh no Candy? Candy?! are you alright?" Dipper said trying to wake her up but he had no time to. Heard the bug behind them so Dipper slid his arms under Candy, lifted her up, and ran away into the forest. Luckily he memorized the trail he took after a few left and right turns. Dipper ran faster to the sound of the bug behind them. A while later exiting the forest Dipper went from running to walking, he occasionally looked at Candy to check on her without stopping.

They made it out, and Candy is waking up without Dipper noticing. Candy opening her eyes and saw him, bruised face, messy hair, and the angle she Dipper in the moon light. It was a heart stopping moment for Candy seeing Dipper, although he looks beat up Candy knew he risked his life for her. This a lot to process for and now Candy's confused, why is she confused. While she was staring at Dipper he looked back at her, him looking back at Candy scared her like she didn't want him to look back, but then again Candy questioned why she felt this way.

Dipper found that Candy is awake "oh hey your alive" he said sarcastically, Candy with a pause "uhh yes, yes I am" Candy replied nervously "think you can walk?" he asked her. Candy paused again. She liked being held this way by Dipper but she noticed that he was tired, who knows how long he's been walking "yea you can put me down" she finally said.

Dipper slowly put Candy on her feet making sure she really can walk. Dipper let go of her and felt his fore arm. Candy seen his arm, it was bruised from fighting off the fire bug "oh no, are you alright?" she asked him "I'm fine" "but your arm" "its just a bruise" Dipper told Candy, she was still worried about his arm. And how he had to carry her for how ever long she was unconscious "your pretty strong" she said out loud saying the most embarrassing thing ever "what?" Dipper asked Candy thought for a moment "i said...your pretty strong to uh...carry me this far" "oh well um no problem, your not not that heavy either sooo" Dipper said. Candy was blushing from that awkward moment so she looked away. Throughout the whole walk back both of them were silent, Candy nervous being around Dipper.

They made it back to the Mystery Shack, Dipper and Candy heading toward the entrance. In front of the door and Dipper was about to open then Candy stopped him "hey um thanks for saving me back there and um..." "no *yawn* problem" Dipper said putting his hand on the knob, Candy grabbed his arm and to Dippers surprise "whoa Candy what is it?" and on the verge of kiss him Candy stopped herself, she let go "nothing! thats your bruised arm thats all" she said.

Dipper is now starting to get irritated but before he can ask Mabel opened the door "Candy your back!" Mabel said with a high tone, Grenda followed behind Mabel "Candy! oh we were so worried!" She said with a group hug, Dipper excluded. Both of Candy's best friends were glad to see her. Candy was upset she couldn't show her gratitude to him. Dipper headed upstairs and into his room, and the second he landed on his bed Dipper sighed as he dosed off asleep.


End file.
